Register a birth abroad

You must register your child’s birth according to the regulations in the country where the child was born. They’ll give you a local birth certificate.

This local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, eg when you apply for a passport or register with a school or doctor. You might need to have it translated and certified if it isn’t in English.

Once you’ve registered locally you may also be able to register the birth with the UK authorities. You can only do this if the child was born on or after 1 January 1983.

You don’t need to register with the UK authorities but it means:

the birth will be recorded with the General Register Offices or at the National Records Office of Scotland